Under A Pale Light
by NathKingCoal
Summary: A warrior walking a path of honor when deception is common use. A protector roaming a world of assassins will earn a name for herself. Follow her on her journey. Friendship, betrayal, awkward moments, love? And who knows what else! Read to find out! Will be AU-ish with Multi-crossover elements. Samurai-born OC, some OOC characters. Rated M for safety. Have a Good read!
1. Prologue

AN/ This is my first attempt at writing a fanfiction, I have been reading on the site for some time and finally decided to try my hand at making my own. I don't own Naruto, only my OC, and even that is only partially since she is inspired by a game character. I'm French speaking so English is my 2nd language; there might be some grammar/spelling mistakes, but I feel confident they will be kept at a minimum. I don't have a beta (whatever that is), but a friend has read some parts of what I wrote. Enjoy your read! Hopefully…

Burn bright, burn Coal!

"Talk."

" _Divine Talk."_

' _Thoughts.'_

AN/ at some point there is a character named "Lé", it French. Pronounce it as "Lay"

IMPORTANT:The prologue has no impact on the story itself and is actually optionnal, its mostly written to say how the OC got in the narutoverse and somewhat show the writing style you can expect for UaPL.

-UnderAPaleLight-

-Prologue

Under a starlit sky stood a lone woman on a stone balcony, her pale skin and silver hair shining with the moon's glow, giving her an ethereal appearance.

She had finally done it. After unending months of research she at last had a lead on the forgotten temple of the moon folks, an entire civilisation lost to the annals of history. For as long as she could remember she had found solace in the comforting embrace of the night, away from the bright and harsh rays of the sun. The others had always found her strange because of her fascination, her long nights spent stargazing. They, who rejoiced in the warm embrace of the day, that dedicated an hour each morning to celebrate dawn, that worshiped the sun and its chosen. They simply could not fathom a person who thought otherwise, they could not understand her ways.

Musing and utterly unaware of her surroundings, she did not realise she had been watched for the last few minutes nor did she hear the soft footsteps echoing from behind her.

"There you are, I've been looking all over the temple for you" said an approaching, feminine voice.

The person stopped in the shadows of the doorway waiting for an acknowledgement and sighed when she received none.

"Sure, don't mind me, I just spent the last hour looking for you in the dark hours of the night." she added sarcastically. "How can you even stand the cold?"

The figure walked outside toward the pale woman, intent on breaking her chain of thoughts. She reached her and circled her waist with strong arms and brought her close, resting her head in the other woman's shoulder and badly startling her.

"Ahhhhh, I finally get a reaction out of you it would seem. "Said the newcomer mirthfully.

"Oh, it's only you, Red"

"What do you mean it's _only me_? Were you expecting someone else to come see you? And don't call me Red, you know I hate that."

"No... not really, I wasn't expecting anyone to be looking for me actually. You know… with how I'm an anomaly and all that…"

"How many times will I have to tell you not to listen to them? There's nothing wrong with you. Just because you enjoy the night air does not make you a frea-"

"I know, Lé" interrupted the silver haired woman. "But it's been like that ever since I was brought to the temple twenty years ago, every single day people ask me why I don't come to the morning rituals, how I can be so pale while living in the sun temple or just flat out ignoring me… twenty years is a long time."

"Is that…what you were thinking about?"

"No nothing like that, although it's loosely related, I recently found some information that I was looking for. You know the research I've been doing in the last year?"

"The secret one that you would not let me help with?" replied Red wryly.

"Yes that's the one. You're still miffed about that?"

"Nahhh, it's not my fault my best friend decided to replace me for some old books."

"Speaking about that, would you kindly give me some breathing space? I don't mind the warmth, it's rather cold tonight, but your little boytoy might get jealous."

Spluttering, the woman hastily took a few steps away.

"I-I don't-we are n not-it's not like that Ana!" she shrieked indignantly.

Turning around, Ana saw her red-haired friend sporting a blush fiercer than her hair and laughed loudly.

"Then why is your face competing with your hair? And winning it seems." She teased.

"I hate you"

"Hush, don't go saying nonsense now."

"I'm not, really I…uggh nevermind. What got you so busy then?"

"I found some information about other people that…" She stopped herself, not knowing how her friend would take her wish to leave for an extended period of time. "I found some things that I would like to bring back to the temple and uhhh I… I might be gone for some time. Possibly a long time, my destination is off-continent according to the maps I found."

"I'm coming with you" said the redhead quickly.

"You know you can't, Le you have duties here. You are needed at the temple, they look up to you. Hell, practically worship you."

"I don't care, I'm not letting you run off on some secret quest of yours. Not alone."

"You know I won't be missed if I leave."

"I WILL!" she cried. "You are my only true friend here, the others put me on a pedestal! And while they may be cordial, it's only lip service. It's impossible to have an actual conversation with anyone! All they do is agree with me like I can do no wrong or be mistaken." She paused to regain her composure. "If you weren't here I honestly don't know what I would do with the elders. They're constantly trying to cram my head with their ideals: _Only the sun is worth worshipping in these lands, the moon is vile and only brings darkness. Only in the sun do you find life and renewal._ "

"Bigoted old fools!" Snapped Ana. "What of the other nations and their gods, is it to be considered heresy as well? Do they plan to bring the mountain's might on their cities to _purge_ the heretics? They already mistrust me for my preferences, especially elder Raya, I sometimes feel like she want to bring me in for _education_."

"It's true Raya IS the harshest amongst them, but she would never hurt any of us. She is just… passionate… when it comes to the sun and its virtues."

Silence answered her.

"Do you see why I need you here? You keep me grounded. Remind me that there are others who think differently and are good persons, not misguided idiots or lunatics trying to end us as the elders profess."

"You don't need me for that Lé, we've been friends for the last fifteen years and I know you well." Said the silver haired woman softly. "You are more strong-willed than you give yourself credit for, you can take a year without my so-called grounding presence."

There was a long pause where neither said anything. They turned their gaze to the sky and leaned themselves on the railing. One waiting patiently and the other trying to come to term with her friend's decision. A resolved sigh broke the quiet.

"How long do you plan to be gone?"

"…"

"How. Long. Ana, please."

"It's not fixed yet, but I should be away for a year. Give or take a month."

"What is it you are looking for that is so important?"

"I don't know if I should tell you." She turned to her lifelong friend. "It's not something that would be quite… accepted here."

"You know I won't judge you Ana."

She steeled herself. "I found and old text in the library, I'm not sure how old it actually is but it looks to be around two hundred years old, it wasn't written in modern script. It talked about a people that worshipped the moon just as we do here with the sun, a whole temple dedicated to the cult! I found the coordinates to their temple in the scroll, that's where I'm going!"

"That's..."

"Can you believe it?! It's fantastic! A whole group with beliefs so close to the ones here yet so different, alien even! An entire civilisation with their own culture and trade and…and. I'm rambling now, but don't you see? I'm not a freak like they say, there are others out there who think like me!" Ana proclaimed passionately. "And it gets even better, my friend. From what I gathered they were actually allies or at least on peaceful terms with our temple!"

"Wait, why would the elders hide this information from us then? Does it say what happened to the other temple and its habitants?"

"That's what I hope to find there, I don't understand why we never heard of them if they were friendly. Maybe they can tell me more when I reach them."

The pale haired woman continued talking about the wonders she hoped to find at her destination before switching to the places she planned to visit on her journey. The two talked for some time before the redhead shivered and asked if they could get inside.

"I take it you plan on leaving soon?"

"Tomorrow if I can help it."

"What? Then why are you still awake and talking to me at three in the morning? You should already be asleep if you want to leave early!"

"Wellllll…"

"No! You are not leaving at dusk. Its ill omen and you know it. Now go, up to bed you go!"

"Dumb superstition is what it is." Grumbled Ana. "Yes, O chosen one! This humble servant will now go rest herself." She added patronizingly, heading to her rooms with a lazy wave of her hand for her friend. "Good night, Red."

"Don't call me that!"

-UnderAPaleLight-

The following morning saw the pale woman depart the temple after saying her goodbyes to the sole person that came to see her off. Without a single look back, she climbed down the mountain for her destination many leagues away. She quickly became amazed by the sceneries she encountered, from the gleaming dunes of a vast desert she crossed to the calming shores of a peaceful island, and passing through a luxuriant jungle filled with exotic plants and fauna. She reveled in this experience away from the daily pressure and stares, she finally felt like herself, free to do as she please. It was a much needed breath of fresh air.

Seven months after her departure, she reached her target and prepared herself for what awaited over the last mountain ridge. She had imagined a grand temple bustling with activities; warriors training in the field, civilians chatting in the public areas and traders selling their wares. Protected by impregnable stone walls and stalwart defenders. She abruptly stopped and fell to her knees at the top of the hill.

"W-What is this? What happened here?" She murmured horrified. Before her stood the remnants of a once imposing line of defence, High walls cracked and fallen in multiple section with rubbles littering the field around the place. Beyond that she spotted the ruins of houses and various buildings, along with broken statues.

"No no no no no! NO! This can't be happening!" She silently made her way down the hill to the ruins.

As she came closer she realised that some of the rubbles were remains of siege machinery, no doubt used to breach the walls. ' _They didn't desert the place, someone came with an army and crushed them._ ' A glint on the ground caught her attention. 'And left the bodies to rot in the open.' She thought after realising the glint came from a bronze breastplate buried in the ground.

Apprehension filled her as she came to the walls. She knew it to be foolish, but hoped nonetheless to find sign of survivors. Crossing the break, her fear were confirmed when she saw the amassment of corpses in the middle of the place. "What kind of monsters would do something like that?" She spotted a small cadaver lying face down in the dirt, a spear firmly embedded in its rib cage. "Not even the children were spared… these people deserve a proper burial. It's the least I can do."

She spent the major part of the two following days burying the bodies in an empty portion of the fields surrounding the temple, giving prayers to the gods for the lost souls trapped in the ruins after each was laid to rest. On the third morrow, the pale woman searched the buildings for whatever lore she could find on the events leading to the destruction all around her. In the central structure, she found an old parchment dated a hundred and fifty years back telling of a meeting with the faithful of the sun, their ancient religious rivals whom had finally accepted the peace talks and were sending an envoy to cement the alliance.

' _There it is again. It's the second text that refers to a diplomatic meeting; why are there no records of this back at the temple? And why did this place fall to ruin? There has to be some documents that can tell me more_.' She meticulously inspected the archive room twice over before heading up a flight of stairs to a large circular room. The place was macabre. Few rays of light reached the chamber, trickling through holes in the broken and grubby stained glass windows. If observed close enough, one could still make out the outlines and the colors of the image they showed; a deep blue backcloth fading inward to the soft silver of a moon crescent embracing a full circle, now dirtied down to a murky grey, barely standing out from the grim covered walls. The air was heavy, dust floated around at the whim of a soft breeze slipping through the broken glass and carrying a stench of rot and decay to her nostrils. She felt as though she had entered a tomb. There was a lonely corpse sat in a high back chair with a rusted dagger planted in its chest cavity, where its heart used to be. She crept closer to the body, intrigued by the weapon as it was the sole mark left by the perpetrators of the attack she had seen. She gripped the hilt and gently pulled the blade out before bringing it under a ray for observation. The weapon fell to the ground with a resounding clang when she saw a sun on the pommel and the engravings on the blade; _The Dawn Cleanses All_. She ran out of the room and swiftly made her way to the rubble field where breastplate was discovered, fear and doubt gripping her core. In her haste, she failed to notice the silhouette hiding between the buildings. She roamed the grounds, looking for a glint in the grass. After frantic minutes of searching, she found a shield with the same sun emblazoned in its center. ' _Why would they do this?_ '

"I must say girl, the last few days were a lot less entertaining than the rest of your travel. You disappoint me." She jumped to her feet and spun towards the sound. 'Damnit, I must have left it in the temple' she thought reaching for her sword only to find it absent at her waist. She instead brought the shield up and faced the newcomer.

"Who are you?"

"I'm an envoy, I've been told to-"

"I have no care for your tales, answer plainly; .you."

"My name really is unimportant, my employer's is the one you should ask."

She studied the person standing in front of her. The man, was leaning lazily on a long spear, seemingly bored to wit's end. He had a heavy looking bronze breastplate and helm with a long red plume on top. A large circular shield was strapped to his forearm.

"Who sent you then? It's not common knowledge that this place exists or that I would be heading for it." Although not recognising any marking pertaining his allegiance, she kept her shield up, weary of the unknown man.

"Elder Raya sends her regar-"

"What?"

"-ds. It's a shame really, I heard she was really looking forward to your re-education."

"…"

"So was I, if I can be honest with you. We would have had the best of times you and I." he sighed dejectedly.

The instant he finished talking, the pale haired woman pounced. She brought the shield up and slammed it in the man's helmet before dropping it, momentarily stunning him while she ran to her sword in the archive. She congratulated herself for having foregone her armor, the lack of weight helping her keeping ahead of her pursuer. Out of breath, she stormed inside and took her curved sword, she could hear the pounding of his boots on the ground coming closer and exited the building. She preferred fighting him in open terrain, despite his spear giving him an advantage.

The two warriors stood facing each other, evaluating their opponent and moving in a slow circle. The swordswoman took her stance, shifting her balance lower and spreading her feet wider, preparing to dodge whatever strike he gave. The man leaped at her, aiming for her heart. She whirled around, spear barely missing her torso, and aimed a wide slash at his flank only for it to be blocked by his shield in a resounding clang of steel. In the same moment she dropped low and swept his feet from under him; he rolled with his fall, stood up and swiftly brought his shield up to block the blade barring on his neck.

She had a clear advantage over him, speed. The swordswoman danced around his strikes, deflecting and dodging every blow in one continuous motion never breaking the flow of her movements between offence and defence. A single dance of blood and sweat. Sadly, where she was a raging whirlpool her opponent was an immovable mountain, blocking blows after blows with his shield and very few attacks passing through to his being for superficial cuts.

While water and wind were able to erode mountains, it took time, and this fight was no different. Already she was beginning to tire, her endless movements taking their toll on her stamina and slowing her rhythm. Blows came slower, weaker and more thrusts were finding their mark, biting in her flesh. The spearman realised she was getting winded and pressed the offensive, marching forward. He charged her, shield raised and spear barreling down on her. Caught off guard, the point cut deeply into her side, forcing a cry of pain from her lips.

She dashed to the side, away from the now bloodied polearm ' _Can't take much more strikes like that. It's hard enough hitting this bastard without bleeding everywhere on the ground._ ' She gingerly touched her wound, trying to evaluate the damage.

"I'm giving you maybe another 5 minutes before you end up impaled, now try and do your fancy swirls with all that blood flowing down your leg."

"You talk like you've already won the fight, your arm must be tired from holding that shield with all the cuts littering it." Shot the woman. ' _He's right though, at this rate I will not hold out for long. I need a second weapon.'_

"Those fleabites? I barely noticed they were there. I've seen harder blows from children" taunted the man.

"A child actually managed to hit you? How sad. I must be weary from all those travels if you are that much of an annoyance."

"And you make a poor warrior as you chose to fight me in the open with your sword against my spear. A novice would have known better."

The woman chuckled. "How pathetic of a fighter are you? My fighting style is clearly unsuited for enclosed spaces… a novice would have known better."

The warrior roared and charged her again. She ducked in the archive building and ran to the dusty room upstairs, looking for the discarded dagger. She rushed down the stairs with her new weapon, intent on avoiding a fight in a cramped and badly lit room. It was not meant to be. The towering figure of the spearman was moving up the steps with his polearm pointed threateningly at her, easily taking the whole width of the passage.

"Time to face the music girl, you've danced long enough." She pointed her sword at him in response and slowly backpedalled to the room.

"If I am to go down, I'll gladly cut you to pieces on the way."

The fight rekindled on those words, the warriors dance even bloodier than before, every strike aimed at vital points on the body. She fought with abandon, knowing deep down that she would not survive the coming night. Either at spear point or blood loss, her chances of dying were rising as time went on; she could only hope that her assailant would perish before that time.

The sword wielder fought like a trapped animal, unrelentingly attacking, forsaking all finesse. The man now sported many wounds from her savage assault, his battered shield heavier as strength left his arm. During an overhead strike, she grunted in pain as a lacerating feeling flared from her side; the flesh had ripped around the wound, drawing even more blood than before. Not a second later she fell to the ground to an excruciating pain coming from her leg, the spear had pierced clean through her thigh, stopping her cold.

She weakly tried to stand, putting as much weight as she could on her sword to help her up, only to receive a brutal shield bash to the head that dropped her again. Head ringing and vision troubled, she faintly heard the clang of the man's shield hitting the floor as he came closer. He grabbed the haft of his weapon and savagely twisted it before pulling hard and removing the metal from her flesh. He grabbed her by the throat and lifted her until her feet barely touched the ground, arms limp at her sides, and tightened his hold, choking her.

In his hubris, he failed to notice the dagger clutched in her fingers. A dagger that swiftly found its way under his armpit. When the man didn't react, she stabbed the dagger three other times and twisted the blade at the last strike. The grip around her throat finally gave, allowing the stale air to fill her lungs again as she was dropped on the ground. He made his way to her, blood soaked dagger in hand and roared "I will destroy you!" The silver haired woman grabbed the discarded spear lying next to her and plunged it in his gut, making him howl in pain.

"I will cut your pretty face open and mutilate your body until no one can recognise you."

She pushed the spear deeper and pulled to the side with all her might, toppling over the raging man. Crawling, she made her way to her fallen foe and slit his throat; ending his life in gurgles as he cursed her with his dying breath.

She lost consciousness.

-UnderAPaleLight-

First person POV

I was afraid. Alone. _'Is this how it feels to die?'_ I could feel the cold seeping through my skin, my limbs were already numb, feelings lost in both hands and feet. In the whole of my left leg in fact. Tremors wracked my battered, freezing and bloodied body, whether from the lack of heat or spams I did not know; did not care anymore.

' _It's ironic. I came here in hope of finding a people that shared my faith, only to discover they were betrayed and butchered by the same group that caused me to travel here. The same group that is the reason I am dying in these ruins. Irony at its best, really.'_

I was dying. The realisation was oddly soothing, no more pain, no more obligations, no more betrayal. As the final rays of sun filtered through the broken glass, I was content. Not satisfied for I had many things left to discover, or happy that my tale was ending so soon. Just glad that there would be no more hardships, that I would see the night sky one last time before passing. I could already see the stars shining high above the clouds and the moon softly lighting my surrounding. I forgot about the cold and my death as I stared lovingly at the bright moon. Then I had a brief flash on lucidity.

Above my head.

Above me.

I was…inside…during the last moments of the fight.

" _It has been a great many years since my embodiment has received such admiration on this world, I believed my sister had claimed dominion over this realm."_

The ethereal voice startled me, badly. Reigniting the pain in my side and leg. A scream forced its way out of my lips, followed by a wet coughing fit. Droplets of blood splattering on the ground. I could not see anyone with me in the room

"Show yourself! I would see my murderer in the eyes before I die" I managed to wheeze out.

" _I am not here to end your existence, child. Your fears have no need be."_

"Who are you? WHERE are you?"

" _I have many forms and go by many names, Séléné, Chang'e, Igaluk, Elune. But Tsukiyomi is a personal favourite"_

"None of those names mean anything to me. Who and where are you?"

" _Still your tongue, mortal. Or I will tear. It. Out. I might be benevolently inclined, but my tolerance has its limit and you are quickly reaching it with your insolence."_ The words were spoken in a stern tone, without any inflection, like the entity was merely stating a fact and yet the air shook with power, I froze in fear. I closed my eyes, feeling an oppressive force on me, pushing me down, constricting my chest.

The phantom pressure lessened and I could breathe again. I opened my eyes to discover a pale skinned man, almost alabaster white, looming over me. He was garbed in an exotic purple robe, the open front held close by a white sash. The man exuded an aura of severity, control, power; yet also serenity, compassion and something…more, something divine. I was in awe. Had my body been in a better condition, I would be prostrate on the ground at his feet without a single thought. I could only stare. My ailment forgotten.

"Who are you...?" I asked in a whisper.

" _You have looked up to my being almost every night, found solace under my unwavering gaze when your days were loneliness. Even on death's door your thoughts turned to me, content to fade away in my presence. Do you now know who I am, child?"_

"The brightest light in the night, the moon." I softly answered. "Why have you come down from the sky?"

" _How arrogant of me would it have been to let my only worshipper in this realm die alone? A lifetime of adoration left forgotten in the passing of time, what a waste it would be when you could still be of use to me."_

"Then…you could sav-"

" _No, I cannot give you back the blood spilled on the floor, nor mend your wounds. It is not my domain. You will die, as fated, but your tale will go beyond this life. Now close your eyes child. Rest."_

The world faded from my view, the moon's glow giving the man an ethereal appearance.

-UnderAPaleLight-

AN/ So there it is, the intro to my fanfic. The prologue will not have any impact on the rest of the story, I wrote it to show the kind of writing you can expect in the story, so I tried to include as much different content as possible. (e.g. combat scenes, discussions, first person POV, and descriptive of scenes. Sorry if it looked messed up a bit.) I have pretty much her entire background worked out, character, abilities, gear and quirks too. Tell me if I should bother continue writing this story, that's basically what I'm saying. Pointers and whatnot are and always will be welcome, once again, English is not my main language. Some characters WILL be slightly ooc tho, but hey! I'm the one writing! If this goes well you can expect the next chapter in about a month, I want to write more than one before I really start going at it; after that update should be more constant? I get lazy sometimes, sorry : )

All credits for the cover image goes to sk-milanova. I really like his stuff.

Grab yourself a cookie if you recognise the inspiration for the oc, and a glass of milk if you found the hidden Mass Effect reference!

P.S. length-wise you can expect around the same word count for most future chapters. (4753 for this one) I don't think I'll go under 3K, ever, I'm 'meh' on reading stories with chapters that take 2 minutes to read.


	2. Chapter 1

AN/ I'm having a laughing fit writing this, I'm thinking about all the dumb jokes I can -and probably will- implement in the future, mostly references to games, movies and books… songs too? Ohhhhhh, the possibilities! So many jokes, so little time. I actually woke my roommate at 7am *rubs neck sheepishly*.

Anyway.

Starting now the real story begins, in all its glory and oddness. I will start using some Japanese words from this chapter forth, but it will not be an overwhelming use. You might also see some words in French, I'll explain the meaning either in the text or at the end, I'm not sure yet. Feel free to look online for the pronunciation.

Burn bright, burn Coal!

"Talk."

" _Foreign expressions."_

' _Thoughts.'_

-UnderAPaleLight-

It was dark, and enclosed. You might call me crazy, but I'm sure I could feel the walls shifting around me, and it felt like I was being moved around. I tried to move my body, any limbs, but every action was too tiring to even think of doing. I had never felt so drained in my life. The more I managed to accomplish was a weak kick in the walls… _'AH! Take that!'_ Strangely enough though, that feeble kick managed to stop all motion… and deplete all strength I had. Exhausted, I fell back in unconsciousness.

Time passed. Flowed. Flew by. I don't know how long I have been here and my foggy thoughts were not helping. I still threw the occasional kick to show my superiority and stop the motion around me.

I dreamed…. or at least I think I did. There was a bright glimmer high above, it didn't shine light on anything, it was just there, ever peaceful and comforting. I have no idea how long I stared at it, entranced as I was, but the glow seemed to get brighter, bigger too; I felt a searing pain in my forehead, like I was being branded by white hot iron.

And everything turned black again.

-UnderAPaleLight-

Guranbe village, Testu no Kuni

It was a peaceful night, the weather was pleasantly warm for the beginning of spring. Few clouds marred the sky, floating carelessly with the blowing breeze, obscuring some stars and revealing others as they drifted; sometimes masking a part of the large, gleaming moon. The moon was unusually low on this night, appearing larger and brighter. Bathing every lands in its cold pale light.

There was a small village in a valley, surrounded by a majestic pine forest and a calm lake. A river lazily flowed across the town, bringing fresh water to the inhabitants. Three imposing, snow covered, mountains could be seen in the distance; their base hidden in a seasonal mist. There were a few dozen wooden houses with families, not many more; smoke coming out of their rock chimneys, spreading a sweet fragrance of burnt wood all over the area. The village was silent, most of the townsfolk being asleep in the late hours of the night; there was a single house still lit, shadows could be seen hurriedly moving by the windows; coming from and to a single location.

"AHHHH! IT HURTS!" Cried a pained voice "SOMEBODY MAKE IT STOP!"

"Continue Isawa-san, you are making progress-"

"Ouch! P-Please Isawa-san, release my hand you are crushing it!"

"- I think I see the head! Don't stop pushing. SOMEBODY GET ME SOME WARM TOWELS! IT'S THE SECOND TIME I'VE HAD TO ASK!"

"Y-yes Goto-sensei they are on their way." Stuttered voice from the door.

"PLEASE TSUKIYOMI-SAMA! MAKE IT END SOON! I BEG OF YOU!"

"You're doing well Isawa-san, the baby is coming out." Said the midwife. "WHERE ARE THE TOWELS? I NEED THEM YESTERDAY! Ahhhh, thank you my dear."

In a final effort the baby was pushed from her mother's womb, screaming at the top of her lungs and promptly wrapped in soft, warm towels.

"Congratulations Isharo, my friend, it's a beautiful little girl. Quite healthy too if her cries are anything to go by…"

"I want to hold her, I want to hold my little girl when she opens her eyes" softly said the exhausted woman.

"As any mother should, here take he… what is that mark?"

"Whats wrong Kachiko? Please tell me it's nothing!"

"It could really well be harmless for her, but there is a strange white mark on her forehead."

"Could it be a birthmark?"

"I don't think so, the shape is too well defined to be one"

"GOTO-SENSEI! The moon has turned red!"

"I don't have time for your nonsense, girl!" replied the healer harshly. "What the-"

The mother grabbed her child and her gaze was instantly dragged to the faintly red-glowing mark on the newborn's forehead. An upside crescent could be seen, embracing a full circle under it.

"Didn't you say it was white?"

"It was a few seconds ago, I-I've never seen anything like it."

The baby opened her eyes, revealing two faintly glowing red irises that locked with the mother's own hazel eyes. The baby blinked and slowly stopped her wailing, she reached for the woman's face with her small chubby hands and laughed gleefully.

"My little girl is fine, she is a strong girl like her mother." Said a teary eyed Isharo, hugging her daughter close and humming a soft tune.

As the baby was slowly lulled to sleep, the glowing subsided and the mark returned to its original pale color. Her eyes also lost their red tint and became a pale grey color, almost white.

"Yes, my baby will be fine. Will you watch over her tonight, Kachiko? I don't think I'll be awake for much longer."

"Anything for you my dear, I'll take my useless apprentices to their homes and will be back soon. Let me put her in her crib."

"Don't be too harsh on them, crushing that poor girl's hand was a great pain relief," weakly joked the new mother.

"Believe it or not, Sachiye was the more helpful of the two. Now, say good night to your little one."

"Hai, good night…. Yemoja. My little moon girl. Sweet dreams." (Pronounced yemoya)

"Yemoja?"

"Yes, Isawa Yemoja has nice ring to it."

Chuckling softly, the healer bid a good rest to her friend and departed the house for a few minutes with her two apprentices.

-UnderAPaleLight-

A week later, Isharo presented her daughter to the village and little Yemoja rapidly became the mascot of the place. People commented on the mark on her forehead, saying the child was blessed by their protector Tsukiyomi-no-mikoto, the deity of the moon revered in the village. The idea gained popularity as the Isawa family traditionally served the role of priests and guardians of the faith, also adding the fact that Isawa Isharo was being groomed to be the next priestess. The mark was soon called a sigil by the habitants.

Life continued as usual for the small hamlet. Serene and joyful. Life was harsh, don't misunderstand, but people took pride in their work; they helped their friends and neighbors when times were harder and shared the bountiful harvests when seasons were good. They lived off the land and lake, making good trade selling the fishes caught in the waters.

Being one of the more isolated villages of Iron country, far from the busy capital, they had over time developed some cultural differences with the rest of the continent; they had their own dialect, mostly spoken amongst themselves, and worshipped the lunar god Tsukiyomi over all other deities. They had no military forces of their own, the region had always been safe despite its proximity with earth country, and the villagers formed a small militia if there were wild animals in proximity. The best fighters in the village came from the Isawa clan, the family had often produced great warriors skilled in wielding the naginata, a polearm used by samurai. The family was also said to be uniquely gifted with high levels of spiritual energy and many had been seers. This started the belief that the clan had a special connection with the divine powers and eventually led to them assuming the role of priests in the village.

-UnderAPaleLight-

Two years time skip

Isharo's POV

I had decided early on that Yemoja was an odd child. In the best of ways, of course.

Our features were both similar and polar opposites. Even through the baby fat I could see her high cheekbones and sharp chin, eyebrows and eye shape she inherited from me. However, where my eyes were a warm chocolate color, hers were a striking, cold grey. Almost blind looking. Despite the color her eyes were anything but cold, there was an ever-present spark of life and mischief to them that amazed me every time I gazed at her. Our hairs too couldn't be more different, the Isawa clan traditionally sported dark plum hairs, which I proudly wore; but my daughters' were a pale silvery purple color.

Her behavior is what truly set her apart from others.

I thought children her age usually played for most of their waking hours, they wiggled around on the floor, made unintelligible sound, cried; usually at unholy hours of the night and were all around curious of everything. Yemoja had the curious part down, she seemed to take in everything around her, every noise attracted her attention, every movement and color nearby would catch her awe-filled gaze.

Curiosity was about where the similarities stopped. My little girl seemed bored with other children, almost to the point where she was avoiding them during playdates. I remember the neighbors asking me if Yemoja was an happy child after I dropped her in their care for a few hours, apparently she refused to play with their twins and spent most of her time looking through the windows and glaring at their dog.

Oh yeah, dogs were a big no-no in the house… but not cats, she loved cats. And they loved her too. It was no surprise anymore to see her petting someone's cat at the park or the streets… in the backyard… the house… I also remember a time I went to wake her up and saw her aunt Kachiko's cat cuddling in the crib, to this day I still don't know how it got inside and neither does my best friend.

I'm proud to say she inherited my mischievous, slightly cruel nature. Yemoja is not the most laughing of child, always seen with a cute serious expression on her pudgy face; but no one laughs louder than her, us, when misfortune strikes someone. We've been stared at more times than I care to remember for having a laughing fit at someone's expense.

Ahhhh, good times!

-UnderAPaleLight-

AN/ ' _Maman'_ means 'mom' in French, I thought most of you might need it.

" _Mamaaan_! Go fasterrr!"

A long sigh was heard in the house.

"It would take less time if you helped me pack everything, Little Moon. Your kaa-chan cannot do everything."

"Yes you can! 'Cause _maman_ the best _maman_!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere Yemo-chan, the lunch will not do itself." Sinsonged Isawa Isharo, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Flat-e-ry?"

"Yes, flattery."

"Wha it mean?"

A small smirk. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

" _Mamaaan_! You meanie!" whined Yemoja "Wha is flatry?"

"Flattery, sweetie. Say it with me. Flat…e…ry."

"Flat-e-ry."

"Good job, Yemo-chan!"

"Wha it mean _maman_?"

"Flattery, is when you praise someone to try and get things going your way, in short, to manipulate them."

"Oh."

The woman raised an eyebrow "You understood all that?"

"huh huh, easy!"

"Ok." _'One, two, three andddd…'_

" _Maman_?"

' _Here we go'_ "Yeeeess, Yemo-chan?"

"Wha do flat-e-ry mean?" asked the little girl with wide, bright eyes.

"You see Yemo-chan, flattery is when you praise someone to tr-"

" _Maaaaamaaaaan!_ "

The mother's laugh rang inside the house for several minutes, soon joined by her daughter's.

Today was a special day for the young family, little Yemoja had turned two years old a month ago and was soon to begin her training with the clan's favoured weapon, the naginata. In preparation of that, Isharo decided to bring her daughter to her own training sessions. Isawa Isharo was considered a master of the naginata, during the last Great Shinobi War she earned a name for herself defending the border against ninjas trying to pass through Iron country. There were even rumors that she was offered a place amongst Grand General Mifune's guards but declined the position, preferring to stay close to her home village.

She knew expectations would be high for her daughter and decided that she would help her exceed them in every way possible. But she would not estrange herself from her daughter trying to achieve her goal.

As heiress of the clan, Isharo was expected to act in certain ways and comply with the traditions, she had vehemently refused being subjected to these restriction in her youth and still held to her beliefs on the matter. She remembered all the hardships and tears shed alone in her room, the disappointed looks she received from her parents and swore to never make her daughter live the same experience she had growing up. She would leave the village and take her family away before letting it happen.

A few minutes later, mother and daughter were walking the streets side-by-side, headed for the gate. The smaller figure struggled to carry a picnic basket too big for her while the taller woman carried a light, elegant looking naginata and a small wooden bo staff.

Yemoja's POV

I'm so happy!

Today _maman_ is taking me with her to watch her train. The mean old peoples came yesterday and were really mean to her. I don't know what they were talking about but they screamed a lot and said a lot of bad words, it was scary because she never screams. When I told her I was scared, everyone stopped talking and it got really cold in the room! Then _maman_ looked at the leader and said " _décalisse"_ and they looked so scared!

She was so cooool! I want to be just like her when I grow up!

"Yemo-channn, you're falling behind! Here I thought you were excited for your first training session."

…

She is also mean and makes fun of me. But I love her.

"I am! But it heavy!"

"Awnnn, would my little moon want some help?" I heard her ask teasingly.

"No, I- do it- alone."

"Alright, but if you're about to drop the basket, say it."

"Y-yeah." I huffed. That was a thing I loved about _maman_ , she always let me do things alone if I ask her and only helps when I can't do it. It's not like Genzo and Henji, our neighbors, their kaa-san does everything for them and the twins like it! I think they're just big babies. I don't know why they like it, I like when people tell me how do to things, not do it for me. I want to learn lots of things.

Now I'm going to learn how to fight just like _maman_ , with a long stick that has a big knife on top! Aunty Kachiko always tell me that _maman_ is super good with it too.

" _Maman_." I look up at her.

"Yes, Little Moon?"

"I'm goin' train super hard!"

"That's good sweetie, but look where you're going."

Just as she finishes I trip on a rock and plummet to the ground, closing my eyes. When I open them, my nose is less than an inch away from the dirt and an arm around my stomach is holding me up.

"Or you might fall to the ground." Comes _maman_ 's voice.

"Thank _ma_ \- oof"

She dropped me.

As I lay there, dumbstruck, a shadow comes up on me and when I look up she is squatted in front of me, grinning wildly.

I smile back.

"You win."

"I thought I did, yes." She helps me up and warmly adds "Want to help my carry the basket?"

I nod and we continue our way out the village.

-UnderAPaleLight-

After a bit of trek through the wood, off the lone dirt road leading to the closest neighboring village many miles away, Isharo led her daughter to a small clearing next to the lake. The area was surrounded by the thick pine forest on most sides, the high trees casting their shadows across the area and providing shelter from the harsh rays of the mid-summer sun to the glade and its current occupants. There was an open space in the forest's natural wall where the trees split along the waterside, bringing in a cool breeze from the lake down the small hill shaped by years of erosion and allowing access to its refreshing water should the temperature rise. As it was, the glade was pleasantly warm, though the air was heavy with humidity since the branches kept most of it from climbing to the sky.

Although the clearing was unoccupied prior to their arrival, it was not empty. There was a pair of old, battered wooden training dummies in a corner with an evident lack of vegetation in a large circle surrounding them, testimony of a frequent use in ages past; a circle of stones from an old fireplace, now overrun with vegetation, stood close to the open waterside. Encircled by large, mossy wood logs and rocks that once provided sitting places to the user.

The place radiated an aura of serenity and comfort that brought an awed look in Yemoja's young eyes.

"It used to be my old training place when I was younger." Said Isharo, catching the look on her daughter's face.

" _Maman_ old place?"

"Yes Little Moon. And now it's going to be yours too."

The little girl hugged her mother's legs affectively. "It really pretty _maman_."

"I'm happy you think so sweetie, 'cause we're going to spend a whoole lot of time in this place you and I." said Isharo enthusiastically.

"Me and _maman_?"

"Yep." She popped the 'p' at the end.

"It going be fun!"

"Oh! You have no idea Yemo-chan, you have no idea." She said grinning.

…

" _Maman_ , Im thirsty. Where the water?"

It took a few seconds, but the grin slowly fell from Isharo's lips, replaced with an annoyed purse. She squeezed the bridge of her nose with her fingers and gave a long dejected sigh.

" _Maman_?"

"It's on the counter. In the kitchen." Came the slow answer.

"At home?"

"Yes, at home."

"Why?"

"Because, you were so excited to go that when you ran out the door I forgot it."

A muffled giggle was heard. " _Maman._ "

Another sigh. "Yes Little Moon?"

"I win." Said Yemoja, exploding with laughter.

The woman snapped her head toward her daughter and stared, lips partially opened and eventually chuckled.

Yes, she was going to enjoy training her daughter immensely.

-UnderAPaleLight-

Translation

 _Décalisse_ – It's actually hard to translate exactly this word, it's one of the many variants of a single swear word in French-canadian. (saying 'Quebecker' is just plain weird to me) The original word is _calisse/calice_ and adding the ' _dé'_ in front of it gives it a meaning similar to 'get the fuck out'.

AN/ Honestly, swearing like we do should be considered an art in itself with how many variants and combinations we do. The exact word can be used as a verb, adjective, noun, adverb and can be modified to give it a whole new meaning.

That was it for the first chapter, it is a bit shorter than the prologue. Chapters might become longer as time pass and I take experience, but for now I'm comfortable with the length. Probably going to try and update every fortnight (2 weeks), give or take one depending on my inspiration.

As last time, reviews are appreciated, tho' I have yet to receive one *insert sad face*.


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